Western Soapberry

Western soapberry is a small tree that grows to 35 feet. The mature tree has a rounded crown and a trunk that measures up to two feet in diameter. The tree grows along fence rows and river valleys from Louisiana west across the southern Plains and into the Chihuahuan and Sonoran Deserts, but it is confined to canyons and arroyos in the western margins of its territory. Native tree found in some of the harshest environments. Dry, baked clay with temperatures over 100 F on a daily basis do not to affect this tree. It has excelent fall color and the flower and fruit is quite showy as well.

The LEAVES are alternate, 6–16 in long, pinnate, with 14-30 leaflets, the terminal leaflet often absent. The FLOWERS form in large panicles, each flower small, creamy white. The FRUIT is a small leathery-skinned drupe 0.4–0.8 in in diameter, yellow ripening blackish, containing one to three SEEDS. The drupes (soapnuts) contain saponins which are a natural surfactant. They have been used for washing for thousands of years by native peoples in Asia as well as Native Americans. Soapnuts although toxic if taken internally, are being considered and used for commercial use in cosmetics and detergents as well as many other products.

Soapnuts, such as those of Sapindus mukorossi, are among the list of herbs and minerals in Ayurveda. They are a popular ingredient in Ayurvedic shampoos and cleansers. They are used in Ayurvedic medicine as a treatment for eczema, psoriasis, and for removing freckles. Soapnuts have gentle insecticidal properties and are traditionally used for removing lice from the scalp. Modern scientific medical research has investigated the use of soapnuts in treating migraines. Investigation of the contraceptive capability of plant saponins have shown some spermicidal capacity for certain extracts. While the Sapindus saponins have not been proven be as effective as more commonly used spermicides it has been shown that they are less irritating than chemical alternatives.